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By H. J. Seaman

The cost of keeping platinum ware in repair becomes such an important item in laboratories where much fusion-work is done, that a method of saving in this direction may not prove unacceptable to at least some of the members of the Institute. Some two years since I had the misfortune to puncture an almost new Bishop crucible. As an experiment I endeavored to patch it, and with such success that it is still in constant use. This may be accomplished in the following manner : The crucible and patch, which should be of stout foil, are rubbed bright with silica, or rotten-stone; a light platinum wire, welded to a corner of the patch, and the whole treated for several hours with hot concentrated hydrochloric acid; after which they are thoroughly washed with distilled water and dried. The head of an ordinary iron rivet, 4 inches by $ inches, is rounded off by hammering to somewhat the shape of the crucible. This is sunk 2 inches in a block of hard wood, and firmly wedged in place. This serves for an anvil. The hammer is an ordinary cast-iron toy, 11/2 inches long, and # inches in face, mounted on a 4 inch iron rod, 10 inches long. A gas-blowpipe is fixed in a horizontal position, and the strongest heat obtainable with it directed upon the rivet head; this soon at-

Jan 1, 1885

By Frank Firmstone

Since the blast Fired August 15th, 1878, which was described by Mr. Clark," and up to November, 1881, we have fired three smaller blasts, one in the southwest corner of the quarry and two in the buttress of rock left standing by the first blast near the mouth of the main gangway. We intended to keep an exact account of the stone thrown down by each blast, but the large quantity required by the furnaces since the beginning of 1879, and the time taken up by more important matters, have caused this to he neglected, so that it is not possible to separate exactly the cost and quantity of stone obtained during this time by the old method from that furnished by the large blasts; yet as the latter quantity has been much greater than the former, some notion of the value of the large-blast plan may be reached by comparing the figures from September, 1878, to November, 1881, with those for times when the old system was exclusively used. Since 1878 wages have been raised, lowered, and again raised, and to get a year of sufficiently large production for fair comparison it is necessary to go back to that ending April, 1872, when wage? and supplies were different from present prices and from those of 1878,.

Jan 1, 1882

By Frank Firmstone

SINCE the blast fired August 15th, 1878, which was described by Mr. Clark,* and up to November, 1881, we have fired three smaller blasts, one in the: southwest corner of the quarry and two in-the but-tress of rock Left standing by the first blast rear the mouth of the main gangway. We intended to keep an exact account of the stone thrown down by each blast, but the large quantity required by, the furnaces since the beginning of 1879, and the time taken up by more important matters, have caused this to he neglected, so that it is not possible to separate exactly the, cost and quantity of stone obtained during this time by the old method from that furnished by the large blasts; yet as the latter quantity has beet much greater than the former, some notion of the value of the Jarge-blast plan may be reached by comparing the figures from September, 1878, to November, 1881, with those for times when the old system was exclusively used. Since 1878 wages have been raised, lowered, and again raised, and to get a year of sufficiently large production for fair comparison it is necessary to go back to that ending April, 1872, when wages and supplies were different from present prices and from those of 1878. * Transactions, vol. vii, p. 266.

Jan 1, 1882

By Y. C. Liu, G. A. Alers, S. S. Choi

In searching for an explanation for the obvious difference between the copper and the brass type of rolling texture, it is common practice to look for correlations with other properties. For example, there are obvious differences between copper and brass in the critical resolved shear stress, the extent of easy glide or stage I, and the amount of "overshooting)) during single-crystal deformation.' Also, the slip lines in copper are fine and wavy while those in brass are more coarse and better described as slip bands.' Since neutron irradiation is known to make these properties in copper change in such a way as to resemble brass,2'3 an excellent test for these possible correlations is to see whether neutron irradiation produces a corresponding change in the texture, i.e., whether irradiated copper develops a brass-type rolling texture. The experiment would also answer the more important question of whether or not lattice defects like those introduced by neutron irradiation have any effect on the development of rolling textures in fcc metals. Experimental studies using conventional X-ray pole figure techniques are inconvenient because the X-ray detection system must be modified to discriminate against the radioactivity which is induced in the specimen by the necessarily long exposure to neutrons. Nevertheless, some texture determinations have been

Jan 1, 1968

During the war, American chemists were puzzled as to the scource of the enormous amount of sulfuric acid the Germans were able to secure. Information now in the hands of the Bureau of Mines shows. that at no time during the war was there any particular stringency in Germany's supply of this acid. During the early months of the war, before conventions could be made with neutral countries, very large shipments of pyrites were made to Germany; in fact, the importation of pyrites into Germany continued in some volume throughout the war. This reserve built up at the beginning of the war gave Germany time to find new resources of sulfuric acid. A noteworthy development of the Meggen pyrites took place and other pyrite beds were opened in Germany and Hungary. Considerable sulfur was also obtained from Asia Minor. In addition, Germany made important use of its rich beds of blende and galena. Means was found promptly to eliminate the lead dust, which has been a source of trouble in the contact process of manufacture. Kaiserite and plaster of Paris also were sources of sulfuric acid; some sulfur was also obtained by purifying gas at coke plants. As a matter of fact, sulfuric acid was so plentiful in Germany near the close of the war that restrictions on its use by industries were rapidly being lifted.

Jan 6, 1919

Taking advantage of the lessons in administrative organizations which were taught by the war, Director Van H. Manning has put into effect a new form of organization in the Bureau of Mines. The Bureau is divided into two branches, one the investigations branch and the other the operations branch. F. G. Cottrell, who has been chief metallurgist of the Bureau, has been promoted to the position of assistant director and will be in charge of the investigations branch. F. J. Bailey, who has been chief clerk of the Bureau, has been placed in charge of the operations branch with the title of, assistant to the director. All research and technical control will be exercised through the investigations branch, while the non-technical work, administrative duties, and dissemination of the results of the Bureau's activities will be handled by the operations branch. Under the investigations branch comes the division of mineral technology, in charge of Dr. C. E. Parsons; the division of fuels, under the chief mechanical engineer, 0. P. Hood; the division of mining, under the direction of George S. Rice, the chief mining engineer; the division of petroleum and natural gas, under the direction of J. 0. Lewis, the chief petroleum technologist; and the division of experiment stations, under the direction of D. A. Lyon.

Jan 9, 1919

IT is a pleasure for the translators to record their gratitude to the Seeley W. Mudd Memorial Fund of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers for underwriting the cost of publication of this volume, to the Printing-Office of the Yale University Press for doing an unusually fine printing job, and to the following for granting permission to reproduce the title pages of volumes in their collection: The Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris, for edition A of the Bergbüchlein; the Osler Library of McGill University, Montreal, for editions B and G of the Bergbüchlein and edition D of the Probierbüchlein; Mr. Herbert Hoover, Jr., for editions C and E of the Bergbüchlein and editions E, M, N, and 0 of the Probierbüchlein; the Parsons Collection of the Reference Department of The New York Public Library, for edition D of the Bergbüchlein; the Library of the Bergakademie Freiberg, for edition F of the Bergbüchlein and editions A, H, and L of the Probierbüchlein; the Herzog August-Bibliothek of Wolfenbüttel, for edition C of the Probierbüchlein; the British Museum. Library, London, for edition I of the Probierbüchlein; and the library of the University of California at Berkeley, for edition J of the Probierbüchlein. The cooperation of those who helped with the translation of the Bergbüchlein is acknowledged on p. 64. A. G. S. C. S. S.

Jan 1, 1949

The American Mining Congress, of which the President is Carl Scholz, and the Secretary is J. F. Callbreath, and of which many of the officers and directors are prominent in Institute affairs, has extended to the members of the Institute a cordial invitation to attend the nineteenth Annual Session of the Congress, to be held at the La Salle Hotel, Chicago, Nov. 13 to 16, 1916, and to take part in its deliberations. The morning sessions will be, general meetings at which the attendance of all members of the Convention is hoped for, and which will he devoted to a discussion of subjects related to the three several heads, "safety," "efficiency" and "conservation." The afternoon meetings will be divided into several sections, each devoted to the discussion of subjects of interest to its special branch of the industry. It is planned to have 811 papers printed and distributed, allowing the author a limited time in which to present the salient features of his address and giving up the greater part of the time to a discussion of the subject presented by members on the floor. By this plan it is hoped to have a free expression of opinion and to provide ample time for reaching conclusions to be embodied in resolutions representing the best thought of the mining industry.

Jan 10, 1916

By R. Ward Grosz

Reasonable and timely solutions to the complicated mathematical calculations involved in the mine planning, economic evaluation and slope stability studies related to the Ruth Mine would not have been feasible without the modern digital computers. The Ruth Mine was a prosperous underground copper operation in east central Nevada from 1915 to 1948, when rising mining costs finally exceeded the value of the ore. A substantial reserve of porphyry copper remained in the ground, but until recently all economic evaluations indicated that it was at best a marginal operation and a relatively poor risk of capital. There has been a steady progress in improving all aspects of surface mining since the first steam shovel started stripping overburden; however, developments in just two rather specialized areas proved to be critical in changing the Ruth Mine from a reserve of mineralized rock to an economically attractive orebody. One involved the progress made in recent years in the science of slope stability. Applying the latest techniques in this field to mine planning resulted in reducing the stripping ratio from 6.0:l to 4. 2:l. The other major factor was the efficiency and cost performance of large capacity haulage trucks which made it feasible to go down over 1100 ft. in an open pit and recover ore with a high stripping ratio economically.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. H. Bramwell

The following experience in rebuilding a furnace crucible while in blast may not be wholly uninteresting to some, notwithstanding its purely practical character. Few are aware of the frequent calls made on a furnace manager's skill and ingenuity, to meet the irregularities which present themselves with kaleidoscopic variations in the operations of furnaces. Unfortunately the methods pursued in overcoming these practical difficulties are too seldom recorded, and much valuable information is lost that could not fail to be of value to many, and to none more so than the educated technical manager, with a limited practical experience, who, without a literature or record of any kind to refer to, finds himself, in times of emergency, dependent and looking for assistance from those whom it is his province to instruct and direct. With positive data, however, that like difficulties have been successfully overcome, he can confidently resort to similar expedients, with such modification; as the circumstances may demand in his particular case, and pull through seeming impossibilities in the face of ignorant prejudice. The Quinnimont Furnace (60 x 15 feet) had been in operation but two months, when it became necessary to draw the tuyeres out a distance of 18 inches, in order to give them a resting-place; the brickwork under them being completely cut away, so that after each

By J. H. Bramwell

THE following experience in rebuilding a furnace crucible while in blast may not be wholly uninteresting to some, notwithstanding its purely practical character. Few are aware of the frequent calls made on a furnace manager's skill and ingenuity, to meet the irregularities which present themselves with kaleidoscopic variations in the operations of furnaces. Unfortunately the methods pursued in overcoming these practical difficulties are too seldom recorded, and much valuable information is lost that could not fail to be of value to many, and to none more so than the educated technical manager, with a limited practical experience, who, without a literature or record of any kind to refer to, finds himself, in times of emergency, dependent and looking for assistance from those whom it is his province to instruct and direct. With positive data, however, that like difficulties have been successfully overcome, he can confidently resort to similar expedients, with such modifications as the circumstances may demand in his particular case, and pull through seeming impossibilities in the face of ignorant prejudice. The Quinnimont Furnace (60 x 15 feet) had been in operation but two months, when it became necessary to draw the tuyeres out a distance of 18 inches, in order to give them a resting-place; the brickwork under them being completely cut away, so that after each

Jan 1, 1877

By F. L. Grammer

In these day, when anthracite is less extensively used as a blastifurnace fuel than it was a generation ago, and managers endeavor to maintain regular and known ore-mixtures, the " freezing " of tuyeres, cinder-notch or iron-notch is infrequeut; and, consequently, the oil-burner or " kerosene blowpipe "* is seldom employed; and furnace-foremen have, to a considerable degree, forgotten their former cunning and persistency in the use of the drill and sledge. Still, in starting new or abandoned plants with untrained labor, and in running some of our large 100-ft. furnaces, slips, resulting in very cold furnaces, may occur, even under experienced managers. During my superintendence of the Cleveland, O., blast-furnaces, such a misfortune, owing to a dearth of trustworthy foremen, was experienced; and our electrician, Mr. Thomas Martin, proposed to open the tuyeres and cinder-notch by means of the heat of the electric arc. We have heard that the surface-cracks or marks developed in rolling heavy plates have been closed by electric welding, as by a soldering-iron, and also that an electric burner has been employed at some German blast-furnaces; but the experiment was quite novel to us; and I think it constituted one of the first, if not the very first, successful application of this device, for the purpose named, in the United States. †

Jan 1, 1902

Cyanidation and Concentration of Gold and Silver Ores. By J. V. N. Dorr and Francis L. Bosqui. Second edition, completely revised. Mc-Graw-Hill Book Co., New York. $8.50.-First issued 13 years ago, this book has become a milestone in the literature of mining and metallurgy. Mr. Dorr, with the assistance of F. L. Bosqui, has completely revised the book. Its comprehensive picture of ore dressing and hydrometallurgical methods are of importance to mining engineers and operators throughout the entire field. Operating data and methods, flowsheets, testing procedures, and many miscellaneous methods of extracting bullion are given. The book is divided into two sections, the first discussing principal unit processes involved in gold and silver recovery, and the second describing with flow diagrams a number of typical treatment plants selected from the more important gold and silver mining areas in various parts of the world. International Conference on Coal Preparation in Paris. English Language edition of transactions.-The transactions of the recent conference in Paris will be presented in the form of 6 issues of the revue de l'Industrie Minerale, and may be purchased for 3000 francs per set. About 60 papers were presented at the meeting, covering a wide range of interesting subjects. Ad- dress subscriptions to: Secretariat de la Societe de l'Industrie Minerale, 19 rue du Grand-Moulin, Saint-Etienne (Loire) France.

Jan 1, 1951

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons introduced by members.) Engineer of many years' experience in mining engineering, construction, public works, contracting, water-power development and operation, having heretofore retired on a sufficient competence, wishes to have employment with thoroughly reputable concern where his experience would be of value; the question of remuneration is of secondary importance. A-2591. Engineer, in military service nearly two years, desires, when discharged, to secure permanent position offering future opportunities. Experienced as mechanical and metallurgical engineer, investigator, teacher. Technical graduate and post-graduate from two of best American schools. Ability as executive, organizer and industrial leader. Especially fitted for industrial position of administrative nature or as technical assistant to industrial manager. Salary expected $4500 to $5000. A-2619. Member A. I. M. E., age 36, twelve years' experience in smelting and hydrometallurgy of copper ores, desires research or works position with responsible company. Speaks fair Spanish. Can handle men. Will welcome difficult metallurgical problems. Salary $5000. A-2627. Mining engineer, recently discharged from the Army as Captain, Engineers, age 38, 15 years' experience in the Southwest and in Mexico in gold, silver and copper mining, engineering, surveying, sampling and assaying, with special training in prospect and mine examination and the development of prospects. Speaks Spanish; immediately available; references. A-2136.

Jan 6, 1919

E.T. CONNER;. Scranton;. Pa-I had the honor of being associated with Mid. Griffith in an investigation of the Scranton mine cave problem several years ago; in the course of which we investigated rather carefully the bearing strength of various materials that might be utilized for, the support of over We found that there were no reliable data as to the resisting strength, for instance, of gob pillars or timber cogs or cribs, nor as to the amount of compression that might be expected under a given burden. We made a series of tests at the Fritz engineering laboratory of Lehigh University, from which we, reduced certain conclusions, subject, however, to further test before they could be definitely recommended. Onr study of the subject was later checked by a commission appointed by the Governor of the State of Pennsylvania, to investigate the same subject the subsidence of the surface, and the danger entailed thereby. The State, commission made a series of tests on a much more ambitious scale at Pittsburgh, in the laboratory of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and their tests agreed quite closely with those that Mr. Griffith and I had made. As the result of our study, we determined that the most elastic support is the ordinary timber cog or crib, while the most rigid support is a

Jan 1, 1918

By W. L. Austin

At the Steptoe metallurgical plant, where ore of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co. is beneficiated, a small copper-leaching annex has been in operation treating flue dust from roasting-furnace dust chambers, together with a siliceous oxidized ore. This leaching plant was designed to obviate smelting low-grade siliceous flue dust, which interfered with the operation of the reverberatories by forming a blanket on the charge. The major portion of the copper content of the flue dust accumulating in the upper chambers of the roaster flue, and at the stack, is water soluble, and also contains much free sulphuric acid and soluble sulphates. It was found that sufficient acid could be obtained by mixing this material with water to provide a lixiviant for leaching the siliceous copper ore mentioned. This was the sole source of the lixiviant used in the operation to be described. An analysis of the flue dust showed it to be composed as follows : Per Cent. Copper.............................................. 3.00 siO2................................................. 23.41 Fe................................................... 4.08 CaO + MgO......................................... 2.72 Al203................................................ 0.07 Free H2S04........................................... 19.94 SO3 combined as sulphate.............................. 25.10 H2O combined with the sulphates....................... 10.67 0................................................... 2.50 Total................................... 97.49 Copper soluble in dilute H2SO4.......................... 2.56 The oxidized ore, locally known as carbonate, has the following composition:

Jan 1, 1915

By W. L. Austin

AT the Steptoe metallurgical plant, where ore of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co. is beneficiated, a small copper-leaching annex has been in operation treating flue dust from roasting-furnace dust chambers, together with a siliceous oxidized ore. This leaching plant was designed to obviate smelting low-grade siliceous flue dust, which interfered with the operation of the reverberatories by forming a blanket on the charge The major portion of the copper content of the flue dust accumulating in the upper chambers of the. roaster flue, and at the stack, is water soluble, and also contains much free sulphuric acid and soluble sulphate It was found that sufficient acid could be obtained by mixing this material with water to provide a lixiviant for leaching the siliceous copper o mentioned. This was the sole source of the lixiviant used in the operatic to be described. An analysis of the flue dust showed it to be composed as follows: Per Cent. Copper 3.00 SiO2 23.41 Fe : 4.08 CaO + MgO : 2:72 Al203 6.07 Free H2SO4 19.94 S03 combined as sulphate 25.10 H2O combined With the sulphates 10.67 0 2.50 Total 97.49 Copper soluble in dilute H2SO4 2,56

Jan 7, 1914

By John F. Abel

In the debate between miners and ecologists, our industry has at last begun to get some of its story told. I have been told many times that it is hopeless to even try to get our side across. Some are sure that no one will believe us even when our cause is just. My reply would be that we have to tell the truth; again, again, and again. We will never convert a fanatic, but we must try to reach the reasonable and thinking people. I am encouraged because more of us are trying. Various mining companies here in Arizona have bought newspaper space to set forth some of the facts around our local environmental problems. The Arizona Mining Association co-sponsored a symposium in March: Mining and Ecology in the Arid Environment. The symposium program included tours arranged with local mining companies. The participants saw an acid plant, an acid leaching operation, an alluvial tailings dike, a tailings pond, a smelter, and a couple of open pit mines. This wouldn't phase you until you realized that half the visitors were ecologists, watershed and wild- life managers, and other assorted conservationists. It took a lot of guts. I am proud that we had that much confidence. As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and they is us!" Actually, we met the enemy and they were just like us-concerned.

Jan 1, 1970

By P. K. Guerrero, Nathaniel Arbiter

The correlation of power consumed by a tumbling mill with the dimensions, speed, and load has been attempted by three principal methods. One of these, the torque formula, has been reviewed critically elsewhere. This approach, while analytical, disregards the individual motion and speed of the tumbling bodies and assumes that the gross geometry of the entire load is sufficient to establish the power requirement. A more general approach, using dimensional analysis, has been applied in this laboratory by the present authors, and more recently by Rose. This disregards the internal conditions within the mill entirely and in effect is an empirical procedure for correlating data. Finally, the complete analysis of tumbling mill dynamics as first made by Davis attempts to develop the power requirement from individual ball and rod paths and velocities. Although Davis' result is applicable only at a single speed for a given size and load it could be useful, since his optimum speed is at the upper limits of conventional tumbling mill practice. Where power values predicted by the Davis equation were compared with actual mill requirements, they were found too low for small mills and much too high for the largest mills. This suggested that the agreement with actual intermediate range requirements might be fortuitous, and the development of the equation was examined critically.

Jan 5, 1960

By I. Ionel Gardescu

During the latter part of 1930 an agreement was reached among operators in Rumania to curtail the production of oil to about 100,000 bbl. per day. This agreement lasted only a few months and 1931 shows a new peak in production with an average yield of 136,900 bbl. per day as against an average of 116,600 bbl. per day for 1930. The total production for 1931 was 49,210,000 bbl.; an increase of 18.4 per cent over the previous year's production. It is interesting to compare the percentage production of the major companies to the potential production figures determined by the Government in September, 1930 (Table l), on the basis of which the proposed curtailment was to have been made. The three companies listed first in this table show an increase in average production for 1931 over their estimated potential production rating. This increase might be attributed at least in part to the recent development of the Boldesti field, which is controlled by these companies and of which the production at present is nearly 10 per cent of the total oil output for Rumania. Among the other fields, Moreni still holds first place with an output of 33.6 per cent, followed by Gura-Ocnitzei with 29.3 per cent. In both these fields the main source of oil is from the deeper Meotic sands. Other

Jan 1, 1932